Grace Gate

Premise:

This section will deal with a few of the most common straw man arguments deployed against Reformed theology.

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ITEM 1 OF 7

Straw man argument #1:

Some people could want to come to God, but they would not be able to because they are not elect.

There is no such thing as an unregenerate person, being dead in their sins (see section C-3), desiring to come to God.  John 6:44 says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.”  Jesus makes clear that the only people who will come to Him will be those whom the Father draws.  We know this is not every person because in the next sentence Jesus says, “And I will raise him up on that last day.”  So everyone who is drawn by the Father will come, and then will be raised up by Jesus on the last day.  

This straw man supposes that an unregenerate person could desire to come to God.  However, an unregenerate person is spiritually dead and is an enemy of God; and therefore would never desire God unless God first regenerated his heart, and overcame his fleshly rebellion with His grace.  Since that is the definition of being elect, this straw man circumstance could never be actualized.

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ITEM 2 OF 7

Straw man argument #2:

Some people could not want to accept Christ, but God would draw them kicking and screaming.

The truth of the matter is that no person ever wants to come to Christ in their unregenerate state.  The Scriptures describe us all as being born radically depraved and God-hating.  Every person would remain in that state except for the grace of God reaching out and overcoming the rebellion, regenerating the heart/will so that they then desire to come to Christ, and do so willingly.

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ITEM 3 OF 7

Straw man argument #3:

If election is true, then there is no reason to evangelize.

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ITEM 4 OF 7 

Straw man argument #4:

Election means repentance and faith are not required.

Salvation has and always will be by grace, through faith.  That faith is always preceded by repentance and followed by a lifestyle of repentance.  Election does not mean that repentance and faith are not required. Instead, apart from God’s intervention, no person would ever fulfill that requirement.  Election is God reaching out and giving the grace necessary to actually repent and believe.

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ITEM 5 OF 7

Straw man argument #5:

In Reformed theology, God is not a God of love.

(see section C-5)

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ITEM 6 OF 7

Straw man argument #6:

The idea of election encourages lawlessness. 

The way a person is able to have assurance of their salvation (election) is by examining their life in light of the Scripture to see if they are in the faith.  A regenerate person will be in process of sanctification (becoming more like Christ) and live a lifestyle of repentance and faith.  A person living in a lifestyle of lawlessness would only give evidence that the person was never truly saved to begin with.  Paul says in Romans 3:31, “Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.”

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ITEM 7 OF 7

Objections Answered, by Loraine Boettner